Eysenck's theory Flashcards
what did Eysenck propose?
Eysenck proposed that there are identifiable personality traits and these have a genetic basis. An individual’s adult personality is a mix of biological tendencies combined with learning experiences. This mix can be used to explain why some people commit crimes.
what is Eysenck’s theory
Eysenck (1947) proposed that behaviour could be represented along two dimensions: extraversion-introversion (extraverts are characterised as outgoing, having positive emotions, but may get bored easily) and neuroticism-stability (neuroticism is the tendency to experience negative emotional states, such as anger, anxiety and depression, rather than positive emotional states).
The two dimensions combine to form a variety of personality characteristics or traits. Eysenck later added a third dimension – psychoticism-normality (psychotics are egocentric, aggressive, impulsive, impersonal, lacking in empathy and generally not concerned about the welfare of other people).
Each of these dimensions are normally distributed, so we would expect about 68% of any population to fall within one standard deviation from the mean. The personality test devised by Eysenck to assess an individual’s personality is called the Eysenck Personality Inventory.
What is the biological basis of this theory
Eysenck suggested that our personality traits are innate as they are biological in origin and 67% of the variance for the personality traits is due to genetic factors.
Extraversion is determined by the overall level of arousal in a person’s nervous system. Extraverts seek external stimulation to increase their cortical (brain) arousal. Introverts are innately over-aroused and thus seek to reduce or avoid stimulation - seek arousal by crime
Neuroticism is determined by the level of stability in the sympathetic nervous system. A neurotic person is someone who is slightly unstable and reacts/gets easily upset quickly. A stable personality has a more unreactive nervous system as they are calm under pressure. Over reaction results in crime.
Psychoticism has been related to higher levels of testosterone, which means that men are more likely to be found at this end of the spectrum.
How does Eysenck’s theory relate to criminality
The criminal personality type is neurotic-extravert. Extraverts seek more arousal and thus engage in dangerous activities. Neurotics are unstable and therefore prone to over-react to situations of threat, which would explain some criminal activity. In addition, psychoticism can easily be linked to criminality because individuals are aggressive and lack empathy.
Eysenck also explained criminality in terms of the outcome between innate (biologically determined) personality and socialisation. A person is born with certain personality traits, but interaction with the environment is key in the development of criminality. For example, in a ‘normal’ person, wrongdoing is avoided because they are punished and this reduces the likelihood that the behaviour is repeated (operant conditioning). Eysenck claimed that people who were high in extraversion and neuroticism were less easily conditioned and therefore they do not learn to avoid anti-social behaviour, e.g. stealing something from someone’s home, joy riding.
Evaluation
P - one strength of Eysenck’s theory is that there is evidence to support the criminal personality.
E - Eysenck (1977) compared male prisoners’ scores on the EPQ with male controls. On measures of extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism – across all the age groups that were sampled – prisoners recorded higher average scores than controls.
E – this agrees with the predictions of the theory that offenders rate higher than average across the three dimensions Eysenck identified.
HOWEVER
P - one limitation of Eysenck’s theory is that there is contradicting evidence that states not all elements in a “criminal personality” are relevant
E - Farrington (1982) conducted a meta-analysis of relevant studies and reported that offenders tended to score high on measures of psychoticism, but not for extraversion and neuroticism. There is also inconsistent evidence of differences on EEG measures between extraverts and introverts which casts doubt on the physiological basis of Eysenck’s theory.
E – this means some of the central assumptions of the criminal personality have been challenged.
P - one strength of Eysenck’s theory is that it can be used to prevent future crime.
E - Eysenck’s theory is based on the premise that it is possible to measure personality through the use of a psychological test. This means that we are able to see how the criminal personality differs from the rest of the population across different dimensions. This could mean that early criminal traits could be recognised in the young and steps taken to improve these by changing socialisation processes.
E – this is a strength as it shows Eysenck’s theory can be used to create a safer environment, further decreasing crime rates as people are less exposed to criminal activity.
P - one limitation of Eysenck’s theory is that it is too simplistic and reductionist, moreover offending behaviour cannot be explained by personality traits alone.
E - Critics have suggested that personality type may not be reducible to a ‘score’. Personality may be too complex and dynamic to be quantified. People may be many different moods and personalities all at once so the EPQ is not able to reveal stable criminal traits. In addition, people may be similar in the same situations but not across different situations. For example, some may be relaxed and calm at home but neurotic at work.
E – this presents a more complex picture than Eysenck suggested, that the course of offending behaviour is determined by an interaction between personality and the environment.
